Olivia Newton-John Down Home concert
By Sarah Coletti Of The Times Staff
Going to an Olivia Newton-John concert is like putting on your favorite pair of jeans. It’s a comfy, casual and thoroughly down-home experience.
And Ms. Newton-John didn’t disappoint her close to 10,000 fans at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum Tuesday night.
Opening with “Let Me Be There,” Ms. Newton-John proved to be as endearing on stage as she sounds on her albums.
Dressed in a simple white satin blouse and palazzo pants, the slinky lady followed with more of her bests, “Please Mr. Please,” her newest song “Come on Over” and “If You Love Me.”
All the things you expect to hear at a Newton-John concert. At these she is unbeatable. Her rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” however, seemed a bit too slick. She was much more spontaneous with her own music.
Ms. Newton-John’s version of “The Air That I Breathe,” though, was as intimate as a whispered “I love you.”
Preceding Ms. Newton-John’s performance was singer/songwriter Paul Williams. If Williams would have just kept to his Stetson-sized supply of magical melodies, his 30 minutes alone would have been worth the price of admission. Instead he intersperced remarks ranging from almost witty to com-pletely unnecessary. His patter seemed to get in the way of his music. What a pity.
It is worth sitting through his verbiage, though, just to hear him sing. “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” “Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
All in all the concert was a nice mellow way to spend an evening. Ms. Newton-John is a winsome, lively entertainer. You can’t help but like her.